I Need a Hero
by AbandonedPheonix
Summary: It's the Cold War and Berlin is caught between a rock and a hard place. With Russia shackling her to the USSR and America trying to save her, her heart is torn in two. Who will she choose? USxOC, RussiaxOC
1. Chapter 1

Hey look, I finally uploaded something! :D

So Berlin/Anya is my OC and the story is set during specific times during the Cold War. She falls in love with America but at the same time she has feelings for Russia for whatever reason. Pretty simple.

Disclaimer: HETALIA IS NOT MINE! Although I wish I owned it, I do not. TT^TT Oh well, maybe in the next life, yeah?

November, 1948

The blockade was taking its toll. The girl with crimson eyes watched the sky for the planes that would bring food to her city form America. She did not see them. The girl, Berlin, sighed and looked up and down the air field of Tempelhof Airport. _Where are they? They said eleven and it's twelve!_ Again she sighed and turned her eyes back to the grey skies as the wind picked up, aggravating her red hair from its place around her ears. She shivered. She should've worn a scarf but then she'd be a little more like him wouldn't she?

The blockade was taking its toll. She hadn't seen her brother West for weeks and Prussia was laying low until further notice. One last time, Berlin sighed before turning her eyes away from the clouds and looking once more at the airfield in front of her. _I guess he's given up too. Some hero you are._ She turned and began to walk away, spirit sinking and heart beat accelerating, knowing that when she returned to the house he would be there, smiling at her, mocking her for expecting help from anyone now that she was his.

Her footsteps echoed throughout the large airspace. She stopped. The sound reminded her of that long walk she'd taken not so long ago down the ruined streets of her city. The memory of fallen buildings, buried bodies, and hospital beds for her and her brothers made her afraid to take another step, afraid of hearing more echoes. That fear soon vanished when she heard another sound. Turning around, her eyes returned to the sky. Upon seeing seven planes, she smiled and jumped up and down while waving her arms,

"Yes! Yes, over here!"

She ran to the edge of the air field where some volunteers were waiting to help unload the supplies and then ran back to greet and thank the pilots. It took a while, but she didn't mind. Her people needed food and that was exactly what was on the planes. The Second World War had torn the country to pieces and Russia wasn't exactly helping to fix the situation. All he cared about was more power in her eyes. Once all the work was done, she lay on her back on the tarmac, tired but happy that America hadn't forgotten her after all. She hear footsteps approaching her,

"Miss Weillschmidt?"

She sat up and looked at the young pilot who was addressing her,

"Yes, what is it?"

"I was told to give this to you miss."

The young pilot held out an envelope for her and she took it,

"Who from?"

"He didn't say."

She thanked him and they went their separate ways, the pilot returning to his plane and Berlin walked off of the airport and out onto the still healing streets of her city. After walking for about an hour, she came to the house she now called home. As quietly as she could, Berlin entered the house, looked both ways to see if there was anyone around, and then quickly ran up to her room, closing the door behind her and blocking it with a chair. Not that it would do much good if Russia decided he needed to tell her something. Upon retrieving a letter opener, she sliced open the paper and took the letter in her hands, reading it carefully:

_Hey Berlin_

_Sorry if the guys were a little late on showing up today. There was a storm and we had to delay them taking off for a while otherwise they would've crashed on some remote desert island. Hopefully things aren't as bad over there as they were a few weeks ago. My boss thinks that Stalin will eventually remove the blockade but until then, we've been given orders to keep delivering food and other stuff you probably need on a regular basis. _

_Oh, and if some random people in bomber jackets like mine come up to you on the street and say they have a message for you, trust them. They're under cover agents trying to stop the communism thing from going beyond the city limits. So don't beat them over the head with a baseball bat like you did France one time, they're trying to help you, I promise. _

_Now that all the formal stuff is out of the way, is there anything that you in particular need? Please let me know if you need me to send someone to infiltrate the house or anything if Russia starts acting like….well, Russia. I know you like to do things yourself so I won't try to force help on you or anything but I'm here to be the hero if you need one. Don't go trying to take him on by yourself, that's just plain crazy although not nearly as crazy as England. Can you believe he still thinks fairies are real? I mean come on! _

_Anyway, I hope you're doing okay. Hopefully this blockade won't last much longer and you can see West again. I know how important family is to you guys over there which is why I'm telling you that he's doing fine. My people on his side reported back a few days ago saying that he was worried about you and whathisname but that otherwise he was doing fine. Oh! And I'm coming to see you next time we send supplies! My boss is going to try and negotiate with Russia's boss to see if that makes the blockade go away._

_See you soon_

_Your hero_

_ America, Alfred F. Jones_

_P.S._

_I forgot your other brother's name! Sorry Anya, but if they're not nations I tend to forget so please don't hit me with a baseball bat either!_

She laughed. Sometimes America's letters were the only good parts of her day. This is exactly why as soon as she finished reading them; she hid them in a compartment underneath a drawer on her vanity. Only she knew where it was and you couldn't even get it open without knowing the mechanism or breaking the entire thing apart. After she'd hidden it, she took the chair away form the door and put it back in its proper place. She then walked to the edge of her bed and sat down. He'd called her Anya. The only time she ever really heard her human name was never on a good occasion. Prussia used to use it when he was mad at her to warn her she was in trouble. West had only used it once when he thought he was dying at the end of World War Two. And Russia…

And Russia…

She sighed and fell back onto the blankets. All this stress and anxiety couldn't possibly be good for her health. The next delivery wasn't far away, until then she'd just smile and nod like she always did. After that, America would be here and the blockade would be lifted and everything would be fine. There was a short, cynical laugh aimed at the ceiling closely followed by a wry smile. _Since when is anything fine anymore?_ That thought in her head, she let her eyes close slowly, sleep offering to take her to a more pleasant place. Unfortunately, this was not meant to be. The door downstairs slammed and she bolted upright. Russia was home…

_The blockade was taking its toll…_

There's the first one. What do you think?


	2. Chapter 2

November, 1948

If she had been in a good mood, she would have gone back downstairs to greet him. If she'd done that, he wouldn't have come looking for her. If she had done that, she wouldn't be currently pinned against the wall, staring death in the face once again. After the first few months, Berlin had learned how to gauge Russia's level of anger by the things he did. For now, he wasn't too angry at her and this she could tell from three signs:

One, he was holding her in place by the shoulders. If she were in serious danger, he would be holding her by the neck.

Two, he was smiling that so-called 'innocent' smile which meant he was peeved but not yet furious. It was when the smile vanished that she would run and hide somewhere in the rafters that held the roof of the house up. Why the rafters? Simple: Russia never thought to look up during their games of 'hide and seek'.

And finally the third reason, she didn't have any new bruises or broken bones yet. If he had come upstairs intending to harm her, he would have opened the conversation with a polite shattering of the wrist like he had done twice before. Berlin's right wrist had only just healed from its last ordeal.

This is how she knew that for now, she wasn't going to be harmed too severely. Besides, she could still lie to Russia and get away with it, a skill that only she and two others still had (these two others being Hungary and Poland). She risked looking at him when she felt his grip on her shoulders tighten. It took all her courage to hold his gaze,

"Were you hiding from me again, malo ptic?"

"No, I wasn't. I was sleeping when I heard the door slam but I'd been dreaming so I wasn't sure if I'd really heard it or not."

Russia held her gaze for a few more moments before releasing her shoulders and turning to exit the room,

"Next time you will assume that it was not part of your dream, da?"

"Yes, I will."

"Good."

One more of the smiles and he was gone. Berlin rubbed her shoulders where his hands had been. There would be bruises there tomorrow judging by how hard he had gripped them. She returned to her bed after a few moments and lay on her left side, facing away from the door. After a few moments, sleep had taken her away to a place where she wasn't afraid. Her dreams did not last long, however. Only an hour later, she found herself being shaken from sleep by a small hand jostling her shoulder,

"B-Berlin?"

She sat up and yawned before turning her attention to the small nation that woke her,

"What is it, Latvia?"

"L-Lithuania said to wake you up so you could help with dinner."

"Ah, I see. Shall we go then?"

The small nation nodded and they left Berlin's room, heading downstairs and to the right side of the house where the kitchen was. Once there, Latvia went and sat on a small stool near the sink to watch the other two cook. Berlin washed her hands and then went to helping Lithuania,

"What should I do?"

"Could you cut up the carrots and potatoes please?"

"Of course."

As she went about doing this, she couldn't help but notice Lithuania was using his left hand instead of his right. Her eyes narrowed but she said nothing for the time being. If the young man didn't complain, then she wouldn't either. She couldn't help but wonder where Hungary, Estonia, and Poland were. On second thought, Hungary had most likely snuck out to see Austria. Estonia may have been asleep but he also may have been out running errands. As for Poland, Berlin hadn't the slightest clue where he could've run off to. At that moment, Lithuania winced and dropped what he was doing, gripping his right forearm with a pained expression. She put the knife down and looked at him with a blank face,

"Let me see."

"But-"

"I don't care, let me see."

He hesitated a moment before giving her his arm. She carefully rolled back his sleeve, eyes widening at the sight she saw,

"Toris…what in-"

"I said something I shouldn't have, it's my fault."

"Like hell it is. Come on, we need to clean this."

She turned her attention to Latvia,

"Raivis, go get some antiseptic and bandages from the bathroom please."

"O-okay."

The boy exited the room and Berlin led Lithuania to the sink, turning the water on and waiting until the temperature was as hot as she could stand. She looked at the burns on Lithuania's arm and then at the nation himself,

"This will be excruciating but you can't risk an infection."

He nodded, avoiding her gaze. Berlin took a clean dish towel and handed it to him,

"Bite down on this if you need to scream. Ready?"

The young man nodded and she held his forearm underneath the hot water. She felt Lithuania tense and attempt to pull away out of instinct but she held his arm there and didn't look at him. She couldn't. After a few minutes had passed and she was sure the wound was clean she turned off the water. When Berlin dared to look at Lithuania he was just taking the towel from his mouth,

"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry, Toris-"

"Don't."

She shut her mouth and watched possibly the bravest nation she'd ever known give her a pained smile,

"It would've hurt worse had I gotten an infection, right?"

She nodded and then turned to the doorway as she heard tiny footsteps approach them. Latvia entered carrying gauze and a bottle of what could've been iodine but likely wasn't. Berlin took it from him and put the medical supplies on the counter before looking to Lithuania once again,

"You'll want that towel again for the antiseptic."

She took some of the gauze and wadded it up into a ball before dipping it in the antiseptic, looking at Lithuania again,

"Ready?"

He nodded and she dabbed at the burns quickly with the antiseptic. Again, Lithuania tensed and almost pulled away but she kept her hold on his arm until it was over. Berlin bandaged his forearm and then hid the medical supplies that had been used under the sink. After the ordeal was over Latvia went back to sitting on his stool, Lithuania back to cutting up meat and Berlin back to cutting up vegetables. All three were silent for a while until Berlin apologized again,

"I'm sorry it hurt so much."

"Berlin."

"Ja?"

She looked at Lithuania who was smiling that smile again, the one that even though things were bad made you think they were better,

"You shouldn't apologize for something that isn't your fault."

The city bit her lip and nodded before each of them turned back to their respective jobs. An hour later, dinner was done and everyone had returned home. Only four of them ate at the table. The others went to their rooms for perhaps the temporary sense of security they derived from being behind a closed door. Latvia had disappeared somewhere between the kitchen and the dinner table, probably hiding from Russia. The tiny nation scared easily.

Hungary stayed downstairs to provide Berlin with some comfort in not being the only female present. Estonia had headed straight for his room upon returning home, not that anyone blamed him. Upstairs was warmer than downstairs and it also had more hiding places if they were needed. Lithuania has remained downstairs which meant Poland had as well once he returned home. After a while Latvia showed up again although he looked a bit rattled.

Judging by his absence that he wouldn't be coming back downstairs, Berlin made up a tray of food and took it upstairs to Russia. He'd been eating in his room more and more lately. Upon reaching the door to his room she knocked three times,

"Ivan? I have dinner for you."

"Come in."

When she walked through the door carrying the tray, Russia was standing behind his desk at the far side of the room gazing at a map of the world. Berlin stood up a bit straighter before walking over and setting the tray down on the desk,

"Is there anything else I can get for you?"

"No but I'd like to ask you something if I may."

"Of course."

When he turned around to look at her, she knew something wasn't right. He was smiling so she wasn't in terrible danger yet, but Russia was unpredictable so she watched his movements closely in case she needed to run.

"Look at me."

She did this and regretted it for once she locked gazes with him she could not look away.

"There was blood in the sink when I walked through the kitchen earlier. Did something happen?"

"Toris cut himself on accident while we were preparing dinner. It was nothing serious."

"Where was he cut?"

"The palm of his hand."

"He wasn't wearing a bandage the last time I saw him."

"It wasn't severe enough to need one."

Each time one of them said something, he had taken a step towards her. Now he was looming over her and she still could not look away from those eyes,

"Why must you lie to me, Anya? I don't lie to you."

Now she knew why she was still here and the reason Latvia had looked so distressed the last time she'd seen him. He knew that she had helped clean Lithuania's wounds. If she played this right, she knew she could get away un harmed. However, one could never be sure when dealing with Russia,

"I'm sorry. I wasn't sure whether or not I was supposed to help him, that's why I lied."

"Are you scared that I will hurt you for helping him?"

She had to bite her tongue to keep the sarcastic remark from leaving her mouth. He brought a hand to the side of her face, running his thumb over her lips,

"Answer me."

"Yes, I am."

He smiled; his eyes darkening as he tightly gripped her chin,

"Good, you should be."

As he picked her up and carried her through the house to the basement, she didn't struggle. It wouldn't do any good.

_It was going to be a long night…_

**There's the second one. For the one translation in there, malo ptic means 'little bird' I THINK. If I'm wrong, please tell me so I can correct it. Reviews are much appreciated. America will be in the next one, don't worry.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Holy crap, reviews and favs already? Thank you! *tears of joy* Those of you who reviewed and added this story to their favorites, thank you so, so much! I know I said that America was going to be in this one but um, I lied, I'm sorry! *begs forgiveness* He'll be in the next one for sure! Here's the third chapter, I hope it pleases you despite the lack of America.**

**Disclaimer: I still don't own Hetalia! :D**

November, 1948

Berlin woke up being unable to open her left eye. She sighed, sitting up and looking around with the eye that wasn't swollen shut. At least Russia had put her back in her room afterwards. She got up carefully, testing both her legs before walking to her door, opening it, and peering down both hallways before hurrying to the bathroom. After she'd washed the dried blood from her body she stepped in front of the mirror and sighed. Her left eye was swollen shut, which she already had known. There were bruises in the shape of fingertips on her shoulders as well as on the right side of her ribcage.

There were bruises up and down her arms and legs as well as a darkening hand print around her neck. Did she dare look at her back? She did, turning around and looking over her shoulder at the mirror. Fresh lashes from that damn whip. She grabbed a towel to cover herself with and exited the bathroom, heading to Hungary's room. She knocked on the door,

"Eli?"

There was a muffled thud and a few stumbling sounds before the door opened. Hungary's fatigue from being woken up at six thirty disappeared upon seeing Berlin,

"Where?"

"My back."

"Come on, let's get you patched up."

Hungary stepped aside to let her in and sat her down on the bed. Berlin watched Hungary go to her dresser and retrieve bandages and antiseptic. They had to hide medical supplies in various odd places around the house. Russia didn't always want wounds to be treated. Sometimes it was a form of cruel and unusual punishment but they all knew that sometimes he just felt like being a sadist. The antiseptic made contact with the open wounds and she winced, biting her tongue to keep from making too much noise lest someone wake up and come to investigate.

After a few minutes, the lashes were clean and bandaged. Berlin looked at Hungary over her shoulder,

"Thank you, Eli."

"You're welcome but…"

"What is it?"

Hungary sighed, leaning over to rest her head softly on Berlin's shoulder,

"Why don't you just fight back Anya? Get your brothers to help you, you could be free again."

"No I couldn't. Not with good conscience."

That was Berlin's excuse for not fighting back. If she somehow got away, Hungary and Estonia were the only ones left to protect the younger nations. Besides, he'd just pick someone else to beat senseless if Berlin got away. That was her excuse her only reason for staying was…different, one could call it. Most would just call having feelings for Russia 'insane' or 'crazy'…..or 'Stockholm Syndrome'. She didn't know how or when but there was a part of her deep down that cared for Russia. Not the side of him that beat her senseless and terrorized everyone on the house, not that side but the rarely seen kind Russia.

Berlin hurried back to her own room after thanking Hungary again. Getting dressed was painful, her shoulders and back protesting at the way she had to twist and bend to get her clothes on but eventually she got herself clothed. To take care of the issue of her black eye, she went to her vanity and opened one of the drawers, taking an eye patch from it. She'd had black eyes before and had decided to keep it around so the younger nations wouldn't actually have to see the injury. To cover the marks around her neck she put on a scarf before heading downstairs to get a head start on breakfast.

For a while, she was the only one in the kitchen which was nice for a while. A bit of silence now and again was nice. However, once a half hour had gone by, it began to make her uneasy. As if on cue, Lithuania entered the kitchen,

"Good morning Any-dieve mano!"

"Please, it's not that bad."

"I'm not talking about the eye patch."

He pointed to her neck. Her scarf had slipped just enough so the marks on her neck were visible. She adjusted it and then turned back to what she was doing. Lithuania sighed, going and washing his hands before helping Berlin cook.

"If you would've given us a sign we would'v-"

"You would've gotten hurt too is what you would've done."

"Anya, we have to look out for each other, there's no one else around if he goes berserk!"

"That's what I'm doing!"

She looked at him with a pained expression, hand at her throat. It hurt ot raise her voice in the slightest. The other nation tried to look at something other than her but she cupped his face in her hands,

"Toris, if it hadn't been me it would've been someone else. If I can stop him from beating you or Feliks or anybody else, even for only a short while, then that is what I'm going to do."

She let go of his face and went back to what she was doing, as did Lithuania. She heard him mumble something but it was too quiet for her to hear. She sighed and decided not to ask what it was he'd said. As time passed, others started to wonder downstairs seeking food. Estonia was the first to show up, muttering a faint good morning before sitting at the table and attempting not to fall back asleep.

Hungary ventured downstairs next and set the table to save Berlin and Lithuania the extra chore. Poland showed up about ten minutes after her, bed head and pajamas still present. When he saw the eye patch he opened his mouth to say something but Lithuania had given him a look and shaken his head, warning him not to. The last one downstairs was Latvia who couldn't look at Berlin at all and seemed as if he was going to cry, not that this was uncommon for him. What was uncommon was Latvia eating as fast as he could before practically running form the room. Those remaining at the table glanced around at each other. Hungary sighed and stood up,

"I'll go see what's wrong."

The others nodded and turned back to what they'd been doing. After everyone else had eaten, Berlin made up a tray for Russia, like she had the night before, and traversed the way to his room. Upon reaching her destination she knocked three times,

"Russia? I have breakfast for you."

"Come in."

Berlin closed the door behind her and walked to Russia's desk, setting the tray down,

"Is there anything you need?"

"Nyet."

She turned to leave but as she started to walk away he caught her by the wrist,

"Wait…"

She took a deep breath before turning around to face him,

"Yes?"

She watched him come closer to her. He started to raise his hand and she closed her good eye, thinking she was going to be hit for whatever reason. No blow to the face came though. Instead she felt him gently cup the right side of her face with his hand. She opened her eyes, a look of slight surprise working its way across her features. Russia bent down and kissed the eye patch she was wearing before pulling her closer into an embrace. Berlin sighed; returning the rare display of affection by wrapped her arms around him. She him mumble something but she couldn't hear him as his face was hidden in her left shoulder,

"What was that?"

"I said I don't mean to hurt you. I really don't, I just…can't help myself sometimes."

She sighed once again and lied to him, telling him it was okay. After the random show of affection was over, she exited Russia's room and made her way back down the hallway until she passed Latvia's room. From inside she heard a muffled whimper. Putting her ear to the door, she softly called his name,

"Raivis? Is something the matter?"

She got no response but heard quiet sobbing coming from inside he room. She knocked three times. Still no response. Growing worried she slowly turned the door knob,

"I'm coming in, alright?"

Upon entering the room, she spotted Raivis sitting on his bed with a pillow over his face to muffle the sounds he was making form crying. She went to where he was and sat next to him on the bed,

"What's the matter Raivis? Did something happen?"

The young nation nodded, still not looking at her. She became even more worried,

"Are you hurt?"

He shook his head no. Berlin was confused,

"Then what's the matter?"

He looked at her before sobbing again and hugging her. She wrapped her arms around the young boy, trying to listen to what he was saying. Eventually she caught something through the sound of tears,

"I-I'm sorry!"

"Why are you sorry?"

"I-I was the one who t-told Ivan you helped T-Toris! It's m-my fault you're h-hurt!"

She sighed and held him tighter as he cried,

"It's not your fault, Raivis."

"Y-Yes it is!"

"Did he force you to tell him?"

He pulled away, looking up at her through teary eyes,

"Y-Yes."

"Then it wasn't you're fault, it was his."

She hugged him once more as he started to cry again. Fifteen minutes passed in which time Berlin had managed to calm the boy down and return downstairs. She glanced at the clock briefly and then glanced at it again,

"Oh no, I should've left for the air field twenty minutes ago!"

She hurriedly put on her shoes, yelled to the house that she where she was going and then left, running down the street as fast as her legs would carry her with bruises.

_Her hero was coming…_

**For translations, dieve mano means 'my god' in Lithuanian and nyet means 'no' in Russian. Again, if I'm wrong, please correct me. I hate butchering other languages. TT^TT I hope you liked it, reviews are much appreciated.**


	4. Chapter 4

**Again, those of you who reviewed, thank you so much! I really appreciate it. Now, here's the fourth chapter. And yes, America really is in this one. XD**

November, 1948

Upon finally reaching Tempelhof Airport, Berlin paused for a few moments to catch her breath. Once she could breathe normally once again, she found somewhere safe to stand and watched as the planes bringing more supplies landed. She'd made it just in time. She helped unload cargo, just like she had the day before, and then waited for a sign that the self proclaimed hero was actually there.

She hadn't seen him at all and had started to doubt that he was there. Well, she doubted until a pair of hands covered her eyes form behind and a familiar voice spoke to her,

"Guess who!"

She put a hand to her chin and pretended to guess,

"Hmm….could it be Canada?"

"You're not serious, right?"

She removed his hands from her face and turned around so she could see him,

"Of course I'm not."

"Did you get my letter?"

"Yes, I did. It made me smile."

A grin spread across the blonde man's face when she said this,

"Really?"

"Yes, really."

They started walking away from the air field. They didn't know how long they had to talk before America had to go with his boss and attempt to negotiate a removal of the blockade. They sat on a bench just outside the airport to talk.

"It's good to talk someone who doesn't look like they're about to turn tail and run at a moments notice."

"Well as the hero can't be bothered to be scared."

She laughed. He was the same as ever which made her very happy. It was nice to speak to someone whose voice wasn't laced with fear, whose eyes weren't darting around looking for signs of danger. Some of Berlin's hair had fallen over her face while she was running and she hadn't bothered to fix it since it concealed the eye patch she was wearing. However, this means America became worried upon brushing the hair out of her face,

"What happened here?"

"Nothing that hasn't been done before. I've been hurt worse in the past, Alfred, this is nothing."

He sighed, the hand that had revealed the eye patch fell to her shoulder,

"Berlin, if he's hurting you I ca-"

"No."

She looked at him with a gaze that was filled with a cross between worry and determination. At the moment, the Cold War was nothing more than a massive land grab as well as a contest to see who could build the most deadly weapons faster. Berlin wouldn't have it escalate into trans-oceanic fighting over a few bruises. The conversation drifted elsewhere,

"You said you'd seen my brother in your last letter. How is he doing on his own?"

"He seemed fine physically. He's very worried about you and…um…what's your other brother's name again?"

"Gilbert?"

"Yeah, him. He asked me to make sure you two were all right."

Berlin nodded,

"Gilbert is hiding somewhere in the city's underground although I'm not sure where. He sent me a note a few days ago saying that he may go to stay with Austria if he could manage to find transportation. As for me…well, I've been better but I've also been much worse."

"What about the others? How are they holding up?"

She sighed, her face becoming more of a grimace than anything else,

"Elisaveta worries a lot. Eduard is quiet, as always and tries to avoid leaving his room if at all possible. Raivis is scared out of his mind of being somewhere alone, Feliks' sass is going to get him killed, and Toris…damn it, Toris is in the same boat as me although it seems like whatever Ivan doesn't do to me, he does to him instead."

She scoffed and raised one of her hands to cover the side of her face the eye patch was on,

"I'm waiting for something to happen that sends one of us to the hospital if you want the truth. I'm surprised it hasn't happened yet."

"Anya, this is ridiculous. Why can't you all just get together all at once and rush him? He wouldn't be able to take on all of you at once."

She sighed and looked up at him,

"I wish it were that simple but most of them are too afraid of him to even think of doing something like that. If I were to put that idea into a metaphor…let's see…"

She thought for a moment, and then found the words she was looking for.

"Imagine a lame horse, a blind sheep, a kicked puppy, a pampered rabbit, an injured wolf, and a deaf fox trying to sneak up and beat up a Siberian Tiger. It just wouldn't end well."

America blinked and she sighed,

"Too many animals?"

"Yeah."

Another pause,

"Okay, how about six crows trying to beat up a Siberian Tiger?"

"…Oh."

"Yeah, exactly. We might do some damage but one sharp strike to the head with one of those paws and we'd all be screwed. That and the paw would at some point turn into a pipe and I don't even want to go down that road."

She shuddered at the memory of metal against someone's skull. It wasn't something she wished to hear again, once had been more than enough. America put his arms around her and pulled her closer to him. Berlin hid her face from the cold in the crook of his neck and sighed. They stayed like that for a while until someone came looking for America, saying that it was time for him and his boss to start heading towards the building where the negotiations would take place. They stood and hugged each other once more,

"Thank you for coming Alfred. You have no idea how good it was to see you."

"I could say the same to you, Anya. Try not to mad, alright? I don't like seeing you hurt."

She gave a weak smile,

"I'll try."

With that they went their separate ways, Alfred heading North and Anya heading East. Once back at the house she removed her shoes and went up to her room. She felt tired and her bruises were adding to her fatigue in the form of a constant ache up and down her arms and legs. She didn't know how long she'd been asleep before Latvia came and woke her up like he had the evening before, telling her that Lithuania needed her help in the kitchen.

As she had the night before, she helped make dinner as well as to set the table. Russia wasn't home since he was attending the negotiations with Stalin so everyone relaxed while they could. Hungary played tag with Latvia, Estonia read a book in plain sight and Lithuania and Poland sat and talked. Berlin didn't feel comfortable relaxing though so she preoccupied with doing the dishes.

"Anya why don't you, like, relax for once? You totally won't get a chance once Ivan, like, gets home."

"I know Feliks but I can't help it. I'm not used to relaxing anymore."

The blonde shrugged and exited the kitchen, wandering off to find Lithuania again. Once Berlin was finished with the dishes she tried to think of something she liked to do that she hadn't done recently. Then it came to her. She liked to dance but hadn't since just before the Cold War had started. She hadn't had the chance. Despite the bruises on her legs, she started to dance rather than walk. Those brief years of peace with France had aid off in the ballet department.

Through the hallways, through all the empty rooms, she leapt and twirled, smiling all the while. She felt freer when she danced, like she wasn't living somewhere with someone that could kill her at any moment should the mood strike him. The bruises on her knees eventually began to protest and she stopped and tried to think of something else to do. She heard soft clapping and turned to see Hungary,

"I haven't seen you dance since the eighteenth century, you're skills haven't diminished a bit."

"That's good, it's been a whiles since I've had the chance to dance. The last time was right before this whole mess started."

"Oh that's right, you had a broken ankle after World War Two, didn't you?"

"Yeah. I'd managed to not get buried under rubble from British bombs until the very last attack. Just my luck."

At that moment Latvia ran in and tagged Hungary,

"Tag, you're it!"

"Oh, you get back here, little sneak!"

They ran off to another part of the house and Berlin went back to thinking about what to do with the rest of her time. Unfortunately that process was cut short upon hearing the door slam shut. Out of instinct she looked around wildly for a place to hide. She went up the first staircase she saw and then up a side board, hiding in the rafters. She made it just in time.

Russia passed under her humming a jaunty tune that she did not recognize. He was too happy; the negotiations mustn't have gone in her favor. She nearly sighed but then remembered she was hiding and held her breath. Once she was sure he was out of earshot she let out the held in sigh and looked around, planning her way down before actually moving. Once back on solid ground she went to the kitchen, heated up the food she'd set aside, and made up a tray to take up to Russia. She ascended the stairs, traversed the halls, and stopped outside his door to knock three times,

"Ivan, I have your dinner."

"Come in."

Closing the door behind her, she saw that Russia was once again look at the map of the USSR on the wall behind his desk. She placed the tray on the desk and looked over at him,

"How did the negotiations go?"

"The blockade stays for now."

She'd been right, he was too happy. Her heart sank,

"I see…you must be pleased."

"You'd think so."

She furrowed her eyebrows and risked stepping a bit closer to him,

"What do you mean?"

Then the most unexpected question she'd ever heard pass through Russia's lips,

"Do you want to leave, Anya?"

She blinked,

"I…um…excuse me?"

Surely this was a trick. If she answered yes there would surely be more injuries in store and if she answered no…well, who even knows what the positive response would be to that answer. She thought for a moment of how to answer the question before speaking carefully,

"I'd like to be able to see Ludwig but this is technically my home. I'm sorry but I can't give you a definitive yes or no to your question."

He nodded. Not once had he taken his eyes off the map in front of him. She sighed,

"Is there anything else?"

"Nyet."

She then turned and left the room. Upon reaching her own room once she'd navigated her way through the hallways, she made a plan in her head for the next day so she would be able to see America off since he'd be leaving tomorrow. Once that was done she changed into her pajamas and nestled herself deep into the blankets on her bed.

Unfortunately, sleep was stolen from her by a loud clap of thunder. She shot out from under the covers and hid under the bed's framework, covering her ears. She hated thunder; it reminded her of canons and tanks firing deadly shots at her city. Another clap of thunder and she whimpered, closing her eyes too this time. One more and she was out the door and running down the hall to the first person that came to mind.

Despite her fear she still knocked. She heard stumbling over the sound of the wind outside the house before the door opened and a sleepy eyed Russia greeted her,

"Anya? What is it?"

"Well, you se-"

She never finished her sentence. Another clap of thunder and her fears got the better of her and she hugged Russia, hiding her face in his shoulder. This confused him to no end until another clap of thunder caused her to tighten her grip. Then he understood,

"Anya, does thunder frighten you?"

She only nodded. He sighed and wrapped his arms around, closing the door. That night, every time thunder would shake the house, Berlin would tense and cling to him and he would tell it was alright and that there was nothing to be scared of, that he would protect her. The entire time she was cursing herself for lying to him earlier.

_God help me, I don't want to leave…_

**I know, I know. A thunderstorm in Berlin in November is HIGHLY unlikely but I needed something to happen between her and Russia and it was all I could think of at the moment. He's bipolar anyway, depending on the situation he may have reacted exactly like that. *shot down* Oh fine, be like that. -___- Anyway, I hope you liked this one. More America in the next one. A time skip is possible as well halfway through, I haven't decided yet. Reviews are my food and water! :D**


	5. Chapter 5

**Hey look, another one! I was bored so I started to type. This one isn't as long as the others but it still has plot in it…I think. *looks in between the lines* YUP! There it is, it was hiding. :D I hope you like it despite the shortness of it.**

November, 1948

The storm was over by the time morning came the next day. Berlin had managed to slip free of Russia's grasp and return to her own room to get dressed before heading downstairs to help fix breakfast. She didn't have a lot of time to linger this morning. She wanted to make sure she got to say good bye to America before he left.

Lithuania helped her cook once he was up and Latvia sat and watched them like he usually did. One could only wonder why since there must have been something he would've preferred to do instead but most in the house assumed he felt safer around those older than him. Perhaps that was the reason.

Once the food was done, Berlin ate hers quickly in the kitchen and then made up a tray to take to Russia. She traversed the stairs and hallways quickly but still stopped to knock three times at Russia's door,

"Ivan, I have breakfast for you."

"Come in."

She entered the room and put the tray on his desk as per usual and would've left but when she noticed Russia was still in bed she became a bit concerned,

"Ivan, are you not feeling well?"

He turned his head slightly and smiled at her,

"Nyet, I am just a bit tired."

"Well, alright."

She went to leave but she stopped and turned around to face him,

"Um…thank you for comforting me last night. Thunder frightens me more than I'd like to admit."

"It was no trouble, malo ptic. You're rather cute when you're scared."

She knew she was blushing so she nodded and quickly left the room. Once back downstairs she quickly put on her shoes and shouted to the rest of the house that she was going out and would be back soon. Once on the streets she walked quickly, avoiding bumping into people as much as she could. Her city was unusually busy this morning.

Once at the airport she spotted America immediately. He was a bit hard to miss. She smiled, sneaking up behind him and covering his eyes as he has done to her the day before,

"Guess who."

He mimicked her actions from the day before as well, putting a hand to his chin in mock though,

"Hmm…could it be Belarus?"

"Pffft! Not unless my hands are actually knives!"

He turned around and hugged her,

"Thanks for coming to see me off, I appreciate it."

"Well it would be impolite not to say good bye. I'd feel bad."

He sighed and looked at the sky for a few moments, then back at her,

"I'm sorry I couldn't get the negotiations to go the way we wanted to."

"At least you tried. Nobody else is exactly trying to help me."

He smiled,

"Well you're very welcome."

They were silent for a few moments, both watching the skies for the planes that would give as well as take this time around. Berlin looked up and down the air field, at the skies (which seemed to threaten more rain soon), and then at America who smiled. A light blush dusted her cheeks and she smiled back.

The wind picked up and she shivered some, holding the scarf around her neck tightly so it wouldn't shift and reveal the now obvious imprint of a hand around her neck. Unfortunately, fate just wouldn't have it. America saw and he grimaced, taking her hand holding the scarf in place away so he could see the bruise more clearly,

"Anya-"

"It was the day before yesterday, Alfred. I've be-"

"I know you've been through worse Anya but damn it, I can't just stand by and let him keep hurting you. I'm a hero, I can't do that!"

"I don't want you to be a hero this time, Alfred!"

Her eyes threatened tears as she looked up at him,

"Please! I don't want violence to start over me, not again! It's happened too many times and I won't stand for more conflict, not now. I can handle it, I can!"

"Anya…come here."

He pulled her into an embrace and she hid her tears in the shoulder of his bomber jacket. He said nothing, he just held her which at that moment in time was exactly what she needed. After a few moments, when she'd stopped shaking, he did speak,

"Anya I want you to promise me that if it gets to a point where you think your life or anyone's life is in danger that you'll tell someone. It doesn't have to be me. It can be Arthur, Francis, it can even be someone like Turkey or even Greece, just promise me you'll reach out to someone to help you. You can't do everything on your own and I hate to see you hurt."

She nodded and pulled away, wiping her eyes. He sighed and kept a hand on her shoulder, squeezing it reassuringly,

"Hey now, no more of that. Tears don't look good on pretty girls like you."

She laughed slightly and smiled at him,

"Thank you Alfred."

"Anytime."

The planes came then. They delivered the cargo they had brought as aid and then refueled. It was time for America to leave. Berlin walked with him to the plane he'd be on. They embraced each other once more and then waved as the blonde one boarded the plane and the red headed one stayed put on the ground.

Once the plane took off, Berlin watched it fly away into the clouds until she couldn't see anymore. Once it was out of sight, she pulled the scarf tight around her neck and turned, walking towards home. As she walked away and the plane got further and further away, even thought she couldn't see it anymore, it felt like something was tugging on her heart. It felt like part of her heart had left with America, tugging her in the direction of freedom. The other part was pulling in the direction of the house, tugging her back to her shackles.

_The strings tugged, and tugged, and tugged…_

**Hooray for Bad Romance! *shot dead for using that reference* Anyway, reviews are nice. Thank you for those of you sticking with the story, I really appreciate it. In another chapter or so Russia's going to kind of…lose it. Just a tad…or a pinch…or a fistful…or fridge full, who knows? I'm going to try and figure out how to type that but the next one shouldn't be more than a day off. Oh, and a time skip is coming up very soon so watch the dates at the top of each chapter!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Just so you don't accidentally skip over it and become immensely confused, LOOK! THERE'S A TIME SKIP! XD So, yeah, now that it's blatantly obvious it is now May, 1949 in the story as the date at the beginning implies. This may be the last you see of nice Russia for a while so enjoy it because the next time we see him he'll be a little nuts. Thanks for the reviews, thanks so so much!**

May, 1949

Despite the fact that summer was drawing ever closer, it was still only mildly warm outside. Berlin sat on a stool near the sink, her chin resting in the palm of her hand as she gazed out the window. Latvia was running around outside and Hungary was nearby watching him. She sighed. It'd been an uneventful month and things had been rather boring. She hadn't seen America since that day in November.

He'd still sent letters and she had written him back twice. She would've written more but she didn't want to be caught communicating with him lest all hell break loose. The blockade hadn't really annoyed her all that much in the beginning but having not seen her family for over five months, she felt alone and isolated. She sighed yet again and left her place by the sink, daring to wander around the house in search of something to do.

She wandered the halls, looking at various things on side tables as wells as paintings and pictures hung on the walls. A few were of current government officials, a few were of Belarus and Ukraine, and one she wouldn't have expected to see was of Anastasia and her mother and sisters. She continued through the house until she ran into Lithuania, who seemed in a hurry,

"Ah, there you are! Ivan told me to find you and tell you he needs to speak with you as soon as possible."

"About what?"

"You'll see. I'm sorry; I have to meet someone somewhere."

With that he ran past her and several minutes later she heard the front door slam. She raised an eyebrow at his odd behavior but started in the direction of Russia's room nonetheless. Once outside his door she knocked three times,

"Come in."

She entered the room and saw that Russia was, once again, staring at the map of the USSR. She approached cautiously. A few weeks ago she'd been called to his room and had been beaten for reasons she still didn't know of. Then again, sometimes there were no reasons.

"Toris said you needed to speak to me?"

"Da. I wanted to tell you to go see your brother."

She was silent for a few moments. Then came the only response she could think of,

"…What?"

"Go and see your brother, he's worried sick about you."

"But the blockade-"

"The blockade was removed this morning. Go and see him, I'm sick of having to watch you mope around the house with nothing to do."

She stuttered for a moment before she found the words,

"Thank you…thank you so much!"

She turned and walked quickly out of the room, her pace quickening as she began jogging through the halls, eager to leave. She clumsily put on her shoes and then went out through the front door, running once she hit the streets. As she neared where her brother would likely be, she found her legs and feet were moving faster than she realized as she was now sprinting to her destination.

Upon seeing their old house she stopped outside the front steps for a moment to catch her breath before running up tot eh door and frantically knocking. There was a shuffling noise before her brother finally opened the door, a look of surprise and disbelief on his face,

"Schwester?"

"Bruder!"

She hugged him, tears forming in her eyes,

"The blockade is gone! We can finally see each other again, they took down the blockade!"

For once West smiled and hugged his sister for the first time in months. Then a thought struck him,

"Wait, where's Gilbert?"

"Over here you schwachkopfs!"

The two siblings turned to see the former nation jogging towards them from down the street. Berlin let go of West and ran towards him, nearly knocking him over,

"You're okay!"

"Of course I'm okay, I'm too awesome to get caught you know!"

She buried her face in his shoulder,

"I missed you."

"I missed you too, schwester."

She spent the rest of the day with her brothers, asking where Prussia had been hiding and how he'd managed to stay hidden. They discussed what had happened on West's side of the blockade while it was in place and then the discussion turned to Berlin herself and all that had happened while they'd been separated. She kept the explanation brief and left out the details where she'd been threatened, beaten, or had hidden herself to keep out of harm's way.

She didn't leave until the late afternoon and didn't return to the house until early evening, just in time to help with dinner. She had a smile when she returned though, an extra skip in her step and so did everyone who had gotten the opportunity to leave and visit others they hadn't seen for months. Hungary had gone to visit Austria. Latvia had gone and visited Sealand and had sent word that he was staying the night at Finland and Sweden's house.

Estonia had gone to visit Denmark for whatever reason. Lithuania and Poland had run off somewhere, likely visiting allies beyond the blockade and thanking them for they're support (not that Berlin had noticed anyone but America helping, but then again she wasn't exactly on good terms with anyone else).

Berlin suddenly realized that she was the only one who had returned to the house that night. She thought about that for a moment. Maybe she did have Stockholm syndrome after all? No, she'd returned because she thought the others would return as well. They'd be back by later in the evening or early tomorrow morning. Russia would go looking for them if they didn't and he always found them. Always.

She cooked enough food so that if a few of the others returned home later that night and were hungry they would have something to eat. She ate by herself downstairs, washed the few dishes that she had used and then made up a tray for Russia. With a smile on her face, she ascended the stairs and passed through the hallways to Russia's room, knocking three times as always,

"Ivan, I have dinner for you."

"Come in."

When she walked in Russia looked surprised to see her,

"You came back?"

"Of course I came back."

"Why? You could've stayed the night with your brothers."

"Just being able to talk and see them was enough for me. Besides, Prussia snores."

"Everyone else is staying somewhere other than here."

"Well I'm not. Is there anything else you need?"

He blinked and was silent for a moment before answering,

"Nyet, there isn't."

"Alright then."

She smiled, confusing him even more, and then left the room, returning downstairs while humming some random song she'd heard on the radio. An hour passed. Two hours. Three hours. It was dark outside and there wasn't a cloud in the sky. She sat on the stool she had that morning, gazing out the window once again. Russia had good reason for being surprised at her return. For one, he'd hurt her quite a bit, mentally and physically and not just during the Cold War. She also hadn't seen her family in months yet she hadn't decided to stay with them which anyone would consider odd.

As the minutes dragged on, Berlin grew bored with just staring out the window. With only Russia and herself occupying the house there really wasn't much to do. Then a thought struck her of something that they could both do. A smile broke out across her face as she raced back upstairs, not bothering to knock on Russia's door before practically breaking it down in her excitement,

"Ivan!"

He jumped at the sudden intrusion, giving her a concerned look,

"Da?"

"Are you doing anything important right now?"

"Not particularly, nyet."

Her excitement level seemed to increase with this answer which made him even more concerned,

"Anya…did you accidentally consume lighter fluid or something else that is unhealthy for you?"

"No, I just had a really awesome idea! Do you have a telescope somewhere in the house?"

"I think there might be one in the storage room next to the door that leads tot eh basement. Why?"

She rushed forward, grabbing him by the arm and dragging him along with her,

"Come with me!"

She pulled him through the halls to the door of the storage room which she promptly pulled open and practically dove into. At this point Russia was thoroughly lost in what her intentions could possibly be. Not really knowing what else to do, he leaned against the door frame and watched the German-gone-insane search for a telescope,

"Aha, found it!"

After that, she grabbed his arm once again and dragged him through the house and out the door to the backyard where she set up the telescope,

"Anya, what exactly are we doing out here?"

She smiled at him,

"Look up."

He did as she said and then realized what her goal was. There really wasn't a single cloud in the sky and a few of the street lamps on their block were damaged and weren't lighting up. This gave them a near perfect view of the stars. Russia smiled,

"This is what you were so excited about?"

"Yes. I haven't seen so many stars in a while; I want to see if I can find some constellations."

"But…why bring me?"

She twirled a piece of her hair around her finger and looked at the ground shyly,

"Well, since there's no one else in the house I thought if I just left you might get…I don't know, a little lonely, so I brought you with."

She looked up and smiled at him, a light blush dusting her cheeks. Russia blinked, not expecting that answer in the slightest. It was silent for a few moments before the taller spoke,

"Which one is Cygnus again? I can never find it."

Berlin smiled, turning to the telescope and turning it slightly, adjusting the view of the sky before answering,

"Come here and look, it's actually visible!"

And that was what they did for most of the night: stargaze. It was the first time that both of them were entirely relaxed around on another, Berlin not expecting to be hit or yelled at and Russia not being feared by her. By the time they went back inside it was almost dawn and they never actually went to sleep. They stayed up even later and talked. Just…talked for once. When they finally went to bed, Berlin sat up staring at the ceiling in her room for a while longer before letting sleep take her, a thought prying at her conscience as well as one of the tugging strings as she fell asleep.

_If only it could stay this way…_

**Dear god, I think that last paragraph just rotted part of my teeth…and perhaps my brain, who can tell? Anyway, I hope you liked this chapter. There will be another time skip in the next chapter (possibly two actually), just thought I'd give you a heads up. Again, I hope you liked this chapter. I need reviews for I am a review vampire and without them I will die, ja? *puppy eyes* Pwease?**


	7. Chapter 7

**Hey look! Another one! Dear god, and I thought I was supposed to be editing my other stuff today but oh well, I guess it'll have to wait. Here's the next one.**

March 3rd, 1953

Something wasn't right. It had been far too quiet for far too long and it was making Berlin, as well as Lithuania and Latvia, very jumpy. She couldn't move around the house before looking around every corner lest something leap out at her. For the longest time she couldn't figure out why and then it hit her. Russia hadn't come down from his room all day.

She hadn't really noticed since she brought him breakfast and lunch everyday so she still saw him. Besides, nothing seemed off about him that morning…well, no more off than usual that is. If he told her nothing was the matter, she didn't want to pry lest bodily harm come flying towards her. However, she was worried about him so despite her better judgment, she ascended the stairs and navigated the hallways before stopping outside Russia's door.

She hesitated for a moment. Maybe she should leave him alone. After all, Belarus had been giving him a hard time lately and god knows what kind of trouble she was stirring up. Berlin wasn't one to pass judgment but that girl was crazy, or as England had once called her, 'barking mad'. Other than that, there really wasn't anything too serious that she could remember. She couldn't shake the feeling that there was something else that she should be remembering that she wasn't.

Shaking off the absentminded feeling pushing down on her shoulder, she knocked three times on Russia's door,

"Ivan? May I come in?"

She received no answer. _Perhaps he's asleep, _was her first thought but it was late afternoon so that conclusion made no sense to her. She knocked three more times,

"Ivan, are you okay?"

Still no answer. Berlin actually was worried now but her caution still persisted that she be quiet. Her curiosity got the better of her though and she silently and slowly opened the door. She poked her head in and looked around. Russia wasn't at his desk, nor was he standing in front of the USSR map. She risked a few steps in, making sure to be absolutely silent as she did so. She was so used to the silence that she nearly jumped out of her skin when she heard coughing.

She put a hand over her heart in an attempt to calm its terrified thundering and turned around. Then the fact that she had forgotten earlier came rushing back to her so fast it nearly knocked her down: Joseph Stalin was dying. When a country's leader is ill, so is the country. It's an odd occurrence but it happens. This explained why Russia was in bed coughing. She sighed, cursing herself inwardly for forgetting and making her way over to him and sitting on the edge of the bed,

"Do you want me to get you some water?"

He shook his head no.

"Anything?"

The same answer. Again she sighed, getting to her feet and leaving the room. Both of her brothers had gone through this many times. There really wasn't anything anyone could do except watch over them until the ordeal was over. Once thing was certain though. Nothing good ever came of a change of leaders, at least not immediately. Berlin could only hope that whoever took Stalin's place was more benevolent.

Not knowing what else to do, she went back downstairs and got a book from a random book shelf and then returned to Russia's room. If there was one thing that seeing her brothers through this very same ordeal had taught her it was that she should not leave them alone. So, she sat on the edge of the bed and silently read both books twice, keeping an eye on Russia. She only left once to help fix dinner and then promptly returned with food for him. She made sure he was asleep before heading to bed herself. Once in her room she let herself fall face fist onto her bed, a tired groan escaping her.

She guessed that her mind had forced her to forget that the leader of the Soviet Union was dying. Why? The answer was simple: Berlin had helped to poison him in hopes that his death would cause enough turmoil and confusion that she and Prussia could return to West and they wouldn't have to worry about Russia anymore, that they would get away form all this. Unfortunately, that little voice in the back of her mind was screaming at her that she was an absolute idiot.

Berlin agreed with the little voice today. She wasn't proud of what she did but it made her feel better to know that she wasn't the first to do something like this. England had ended quite a few of his rulers by enabled rebellions and her own brother, once he'd regained his conscience and common sense, had taken matters into his own hands at the end of the last World War although very few knew this. The whole suicide in the underground bunker thing had been a reuse. Berlin knew because she had been the one actually get the poison. Ah yes, the things you learn during the eighteenth century that you think you'll never use.

Still, she felt bad to a certain extent but if this was the only way to help herself and Prussia then so be it. He'd never find out it was her anyway. Not unless three people within the USSR desired to have a vengeful German sneaking through their windows and bludgeoning them to death with an old flail. That thought made her chuckle a bit before she finally closed her eyes, letting sleep wash over her at last.

_Perhaps she should've done this sooner…_

**Tsk, tsk, tsk Berlin. You're going to get in so much trouble! Hey look, Berlin actually is beginning to show a little bit of her war face, yeah? She'll tame down for a little while but after the wall goes up (which will be soon), she'll pretty much lose it and start to do some pretty crazy things. Russia, of course, will be there to try and stop her every step of the way. Let's wait and see what happens when you set an all out psycho and a secretive sociopath against each other. :D**


	8. Chapter 8

**Happy New Year everyone. XD**

October, 1956

Berlin let out a frustrated shriek as she grabbed the nearest thing to her (a vase with some dead flowers in it on the table) and threw it as hard as she could across the room, watching it hit the opposite wall and shatter. She covered her eyes and bit her lip to prevent herself from causing more of a racket. This was beyond what she had expected. She hadn't expected this, not so soon. Hungary had gathered her people and instigated a rebellion. As Berlin paced throughout the house, trying her best not to throw things and calm her anger, government officials in Hungary were being killed and other citizens arrested, imprisoned or worse.

Why hadn't Hungary waited? If she would've told Berlin about what she was planning she would've helped her gladly. She picked up something else close to her (a candle holder) and hurled it across the room, watching it hit the corner and break in half. She took a deep breath, again trying to calm down. This would solve nothing. Right now what she should be doing is looking for one of two people.

If she went looking for Hungary she probably wouldn't find her as easily but she knew a few of her hiding places where she may be hiding. She wouldn't be able to go far; she'd be in pain or in ill health with so many of her leaders being killed. Berlin's other thought was to find Russia and convince him to tell Khrushchev to back off the rebels just a bit so Hungary wouldn't be too badly hurt. A wry smile crossed her face as she softly chuckled to herself. Yes, because he _always_ listened to her. The least she could do was try. After all, what more could she possibly lose?

_Quite a lot, as it turned out in the end…_

April, 1957

This was turning into one great race of who could anger the most people in the shortest amount of time. For whatever reason, Berlin found herself at a negotiation between America and Russia although she hadn't the slightest idea as to what the negotiations were about. But she knew why she was there. She had been brought to taunt America. Oh yes, that was a fun conversation she'd had the other day.

Russia had somehow figured out she was writing back and forth with America (she would have to beat whoever gave him the hidden letters within an inch of their lives if she got out of this). The look on his face when she'd walked into his room had made her think she'd done something worthy of being buried alive under fire ants but no, nothing that extreme. Just two days locked in the basement without food or water. Then he called America to tell him that he knew, tell him Berlin was being punished, and of course to taunt him in general.

So there she was, sitting in a chair, watching the two yell at each other over things she knew nothing of because she hadn't been paying a lick of attention the entire time. She'd noticed America's occasional glances at her, as if he was expecting her to interject at some point in an attempt to get them to reason with each other but no, she'd do no such thing. After a few more minutes, Berlin felt her eye twitch. The noise was getting to her. But still they went on yelling at each other. She'd had enough. The frustrated city rose to her feet and looked at both with a glare that would melt the greater part of Siberia due to the amount of pent up rage held within it,

"Shut up!"

They both immediately went silent and looked at her with a bit of surprise. She had her hands at her sides although they were clenched into fists as she resisted the urge to punch both of them out of spite.

"Do you two even remember what it is you're arguing about? Or has this just turned into one of those negotiations where you yell and yell and nothing gets done?"

The two nations were silent, America lowering his gaze and Russia glaring at her in a way that a bystander would've expected Berlin's head to be cut off by some unseen force. She sighed,

"That's what I thought."

With that final sentiment, she turned on her heel and walked out of the room.

_The soldier side of her was beginning to show again…_

November, 1958

"Have you completely lost your mind? Do you honestly expect them to listen to you?"

"If they know what's good for them, yes."

Berlin had to clench her teeth to keep herself from saying anything else. Khrushchev had ordered that all British, French, and American troops remaining in the western part of her city to be removed so that the city would be entirely under his control. She knew that the Western nations would never allow it but that doesn't mean she wasn't going to get her say.

The moment she'd found out she had marched straight to Russia's room to tell him exactly how displeased she was by all of this. The days of standing by silently and playing the damsel in distress who didn't know a dagger from her left foot were over. As she glared at him in a way that would've made most shrink away in terror, he drew closer to her with a threatening smile on her face,

"You've been awfully feisty lately. This is certainly unexpected."

"You could say that I'm tired of being treated like nothing more than a piece of property."

"You know that I would never do such a thing."

She scoffed,

"Yes, because you're just _so_ wonderful."

He laid a hand on the side of her face, tilting her head up slightly,

"I'm sorry; I thought I heard a bit of sarcasm in your voice just now."

"You're damn right you did."

She was expecting a slap to the face but instead all he did was laugh,

"You're so cute when you try to be scary, Berlin. It really doesn't suit you. That face didn't work on me in World War Two…"

He gripped her chin and jerked her closer to him, a predatory grin spreading across his face,

"Which means it certainly won't work now."

Berlin grinned back, defiance gleaming in her eyes at last,

"Do your worst."

_Berlin wasn't the only one with cuts and bruises the next morning…_

December, 1959

The only reason arguments weren't filling the house with enraged screaming and curses uttered in various languages was because it was New Year's Eve and everyone was drunk. Well, to be accurate Estonia and Latvia were upstairs asleep as to avoid all the noise and possible odd occurrences from the alcohol that was being consumed downstairs. Their decision had been wise considering all the racket coming form downstairs.

Lithuania and Poland were singing while they danced around the room, Hungary was watching them in a fit of giggles, and Berlin and Russia were attempting to out-drink one another. Berlin was losing since it seemed that Russia apparently was made of alcohol judging by how he was still sober after _three_ bottles of vodka. Berlin, on the other hand, was so drunk that she could hardly remember her own name much less how the contest had started.

Hungary had considered an attempt at convincing her to retire for the night and get some rest to avoid a hang over but she'd decided against it. The possibilities were too many and she just had to see the look on Berlin's face in the morning after the inevitable had happened. Berlin was quite the flirt when she was drunk and was having no trouble in trying to coax Russia upstairs despite the fact that were she sober she would have hit him over the head with a violin case sooner than attempting what she was currently planning.

Hungary turned her attention away from the two in the corner and went back to watching Poland and Lithuania dance around like drunken fools which, come to think of it, was exactly what they were at the moment. _Well, _she thought_, at least they're smiling for once. _She watched them a while longer before turning back to the corner only to discover that Berlin and Russia had disappeared. She started giggling again.

_Well, New Year's morning would certainly be an interesting one this year…_

January, 1960

"Why didn't you stop me?"

"At the time it seemed you didn't want to be stopped."

Berlin clutched the ice pack currently pressed to the side of her head and sighed. She was sitting in the kitchen with Hungary inquiring as to why in the name of all that was holy she didn't stop her attempts to seduce Russia the night before.

"You still should've stopped me! Do you realize how awful that conversation was for me? Not to mention I didn't even remember until I saw an empty bottle of vodka on the side table."

Hungary just smiled as the poor city let her head fall onto the counter top. It really had been terribly awkward for her. Her head hurt even more than it already did just by thinking about it.

_Her first thought went to whe__re she was. She turned her head to the side and recognized the map on the far wall behind a desk. She was in Russia's room. The next question was why she was there. Upon examining what was closest to her, that answer came back swiftly as she spotted an empty bottle of vodka on the side table, not to mention the strong pair of arms currently wrapped around her waist._

_Oh my god I didn't, she thought. She dared to look back over her shoulder. Oh, but it seemed that she had. She groaned and let her head fall back onto the pillow as she closed her eyes tightly. She told herself it was a dream, just a dream. She wasn't really there, she hadn't really slept with Russia, the memories were a lie, and that he was not sleeping with his face hidden in the crook of her neck._

_ She waited…and waited…but the scenery did not change. Berlin sighed and covered her face in disbelief more than shame. Well, this would certainly take some explaining once her brothers found out. Oh yes, that would be a wonderful conversation. Upon feeling Russia stir next to her she panicked. Her first thought was to bolt for the door but then again, her clothes were lying across the room and on top of various pieces of furniture at the moment…how had her shirt gotten all the way to the top of the bookcase? Her second thought was to pretend she was still asleep. Quickly, Berlin closed her eyes and feigned sleep. But as fate was cruel, Russia had already seen her eyes open,_

"_Good morning, Anya."_

_She muttered something incoherent into the pillow and he laughed quietly._

"_Head ache hit you yet?"_

_She shook her head no and he kissed the back of her neck,_

"_Don't worry, it will."_

_She reluctantly sat up and faced him,_

"_Did we really?"_

"_Da, we did."_

_She covered her face again and fell back against the pillows,_

"_Oh mein gott. How drunk was I?"_

"_Four bottle of vodka, my dear."_

_She pulled her hands away and stared at him in disbelief,_

"_And I hadn't passed out by then?"_

Thinking back on it only made her feel like slamming her head against the counter top despite the head ache she now had. It was just as he'd said; the head ache did show up only an hour after she'd woken up. She heard giggling and sent a glare at Hungary,

"If I weren't incapacitated right now, I swear as I live and breathe that I'd-"

"Dismember me, cut of my head, burn it, feet the rest to the dogs down at the barracks, yes I know you would."

Berlin covered her face again,

"I can't believe I slept with him. Of all the people I could've picked, it had to be him."

"Well, it could've been worse."

"No, it really couldn't have."

"Not even if it was France?"

_This year couldn't go by fast enough…_

**HAPPY NEW YEAR! XD I hope this wasn't disappointing. Oh how I love writing about Berlin when she's angry/defiant/hung over. It's just so much fun. :D**


	9. Chapter 9

**I really hate this chapter for some reason. I don't know why, maybe I'm just tired. It is almost ten after all and school starts up again on Monday. TT^TT Oh well, hopefully you like it better than I do.**

June, 1961

"He didn't tell you what he was doing?"

"Of course not, you really think he talks to me about this stuff? If I'd have known I'd have punched him out!"

Berlin was in her room on the phone with America who had informed her that Russia had, once again, ordered all French, British, and American forces out of the Western part of her city. Oh was he ever going to get it. What'll it be this time? Thumbtacks under his pillow? Phone calls from across the city by an unknown person who would repeatedly call from one in the morning until six? No, she could do better than that, she just needed to think.

"Anya? You still there?"

"Ja, I am. I'm jus trying to think of what to do to him."

"Anya, don't do something that'll get you hurt again. I hate that he beats you up and that you won't let me do anything about it."

Berlin sighed, a small smile working its way onto her face. America could be really sweet when he tried. He'd even somehow managed to send flowers to her on her birthday last year. How that ha gotten past Russia, she had no idea but she was glad it had.

"Thank you for your concern, Alfred, I really do appreciate it but I already decided I wasn't going to sit and watch anymore of this nonsense. Besides, riling him up is just too much fun!"

She heard him sigh and she giggled, something she rarely did,

"Well, I guess it can't be that bad if it makes you laugh like that. Just be careful, okay? I…care about you Anya. I don't like it when you're hurt."

"I know you do and I'm glad. I promise to be careful. Now I have to go, I think someone's calling me from downstairs."

"Alright. Bye Anya."

"Auf wiedersehen, Alfred."

She hung up the phone and ventured downstairs, spotting Latvia almost immediately,

"Did you call for me, Raivis?"

The young nation shook his head no and she continued down a hallway. She could've sworn she heard her name being called from downstairs. Maybe she'd imagined it? Nonetheless, she still needed to think of how to get back at Russia. Then it hit her, a vicious grin crossing her facial features. Don't ask how, but Berlin happened to know that of all the things that he may be afraid of, spiders seemed to unnerve Russia to a very amusing level of anxiety.

This was why the next thing she did was call Australia and asked about exactly which spider was the biggest he could send without it dying en route. The answer she was given was the Goliath spider. When asked as to why she wanted one, she simply replied it was for educational purposes. She wasn't lying to him outright. She was trying to educate Russia that matters concerning her city were not to be kept from her.

When the vile thing finally arrived a few days later she managed to convince Hungary into helping her transfer it to another box (Berlin was actually petrified of spiders and Hungary was, well, Hungary). Once it was in another box that was then firmly taped shut, Berlin wrote a note just to make sure he knew who the spider was from and why.

_My dearest Ivan,_

_ Why do you insist on keeping matters of my own city from me when you know it angers me to such a state that I might spontaneously combust? Don't you love me anymore?_

_ Anya_

Was that was done she took the box with the note taped to the top of it up to his office and set it on his desk before quickly running back out. Then she sat on a stool in the kitchen, and waited. When she heard the front door open and saw him pass by she grinned in anticipation. She'd only seen Russia and a spider in the same room once before. Soon after, the spider was dead and Russia was attempting to regain his composure (and dignity after having two people hear him scream like a five year old girl).

Upon hearing the door to his room open and close Berlin's grin grew as she held a hand to her ear and waited. Only a few moments later, a very unmanly scream was heard throughout the house as well as a few crashing noises followed by several muffled curses in Russian and a loud thud. An absolutely sadistic smile graced Berlin's features as she got up and went around the kitchen to get things ready for dinner. It wasn't long before a very peeved Russia stood in the doorway glaring at her,

"Was the spider really necessary? Where did you even manage to find one that big?"

"Australia. Don't be mad at him though, he doesn't know what I used it for."

"Be glad I killed it otherwise you would have found it in your bed come morning."

She pouted,

"Surely you'd never do such a thing. Oh, and to answer the other question: yes, it was necessary. I'm tired of you not telling me about these things."

"So you used an enormous spider to get your revenge?"

Then he was suddenly behind her, his breath on her neck,

"Or are you just upset that I haven't been paying as much attention to you lately?"

She turned around to say something but it suddenly hit her that she had absolutely nothing that could serve as a come back to that statement. After a moment of staring at the other she said,

"Are you sure it isn't you who is trying to get my attention with keeping secrets from me?"

Something changed in his expression. There was a glint in his eyes and he smirked, leaning closer to her,

"And what if I was? Would you give me your attention if I said yes?"

"Well what choice would I have? After all it's not like I actually matter. I'm just another pawn, right?"

That made him stop and think of what to say for a moment and while he tried to think of something to say, she went about preparing dinner once again. Well, she did until she heard his response,

"You're not much of a pawn anymore."

"Really? Then what am I?"

She knew he was right behind her because she could feel his breath in her ear as he answered her question.

_You're the queen attempting to poison the king…_

August, 1961

Berlin had laughed hysterically at Russia's latest attempt to keep people in the East side of her city. Was barbed wire really the best he could do? She'd asked him this and he'd given her a quizzical look to which she had responded that her people would just dig tunnels underneath the offensive barrier.

_Oh, but the barbed wire was soon replaced by concrete and guard towers…_

November, 1961

The wall was complete, Prussia and Berlin and all the others were now completely separated from the rest of Europe and therefore beyond help. Well, at least that is how it seemed for the two German siblings sitting side by side on a park bench as the snow fell around. Technically Prussia should've still been underground hiding but after the construction of the wall he'd begun to worry about his baby sister and had gone to see her.

"I can't believe he actually did this."

"What did you expect, schwester? The guy's a possessive freak; I thought you would've realized that by now."

"I know but I never thought he'd go this far to keep all of us separated."

The former nation held his sister's hand, her lack of emotion in her words worrying him as well as the new bruise on her right cheek bone. They were silent for a very long time, the two of them just sitting in the park until the sun began to go down and they had to say their goodbyes. Berlin walked slowly back towards the house. The wall had somehow sapped her of her energy although she had no clue of how that happened.

Upon returning, she wandered to the kitchen where Lithuania had already started cooking. As always, she helped get things done and on the table. Most of the night was quiet as many of them had been quite sullen after the wall had gone up. Allies (if any of them still kept in touch with them) were now unreachable and help seemed a thing of a past. Russia had also become progressively difficult to live with during the past month.

This was proved later in the night when a single sound alerted all that were in the house that they should hide. Berlin, being near to Latvia, picked up the small nation and ran for the nearest closed off space. She ran in and closed the door to the closet. Berlin had no idea why there was a lock on a closet but she clicked it in place anyway and removed a floor board, ushering Latvia into the crawl space beneath before following suit and pulling the floor back into place. The child huddled close to her and she held onto him, looking up for any sign that Russia had found them.

There were only a few that she was close enough to that she would put herself in harms to protect them. Latvia was one of them, partly because he was so young and also because he was the most defenseless by far. She heard footsteps drawing closer to them and she held Latvia just a bit tighter. She heard someone trying to unlock the door and then heard the cracking of wood as it was broken down. Se heard objects being pushed aside as Russia searched for them and then heard more footsteps, this time receding. Berlin let out of sigh of relief and whispered words of comfort to Latvia who was very near tears. They had hidden well and would not be found.

_Unfortunately, that only meant that someone else would be hurt that night…_

December, 1969

It was cold. It was far too cold to be running through three feet of snow in a skirt but alas, this is what Berlin was doing. She had told herself she wouldn't run anymore, that she couldn't run and needed to remain strong. However, she couldn't fight back anymore. She was tired, she was injured, she was weak. Still, she kept running as fast as one can through snow. After seeing the look on his face and wriggling free from being pinned in a strangle hold to the wall, Berlin had fled the house.

She knew that look. She'd seen it before on the battle field on the Eastern Front in World War One. It was a look she had hoped never to see again but there it had been. It had turned her blood into pure adrenaline and forced her to dig her nails into his hands, making him let go just long enough for her to get free and run. She didn't even know if he was chasing her, she just knew she had to get away, she didn't care where. France, Denmark, China, anywhere was better then going back to that house.

She had run so far she wasn't even in the city anymore, she was somewhere in the country side and she did not see any houses. She paused, bending over and resting her hands on her knees as she desperately tried to get air back in her lungs. She turned and looked over her shoulder. There was no one there. She'd been running for no reason for who knows how long. She didn't even know which direction she'd been running. Despite the fatigue that was making her body feel far heavier than it was, she managed to smile. Getting lost in her own country, how sad.

She turned to take a step in the direction she'd been heading in but her legs betrayed her and she fell into the snow. She tried to get up but she was freezing and so tired. Her arms and legs refused to work and she sighed, accepting the fact that she would be going anywhere anytime soon. Snow had started to fall again. Her eyes slowly closed.

_It was so cold…_

Upon waking up, the first thing Berlin realized was that she was no longer outside in the now. The second thing she realized was that someone must have found her and taken her to the hospital because that was exactly where she was, or at least that seemed to be the case. Then she heard a very familiar voice,

"Oh mein gott, thank goodness you're awake!"

She looked to her left at the young man sitting in a chair near the bed and smiled wearily,

"Angermünde? Is that really you?"

"Yes it is! I found you on the side of the road last night. What in the world were you doing all the way out here?"

"It's a long story and one that you probably shouldn't hear. You probably have enough on your mind."

After a hug and a few more questions, Berlin's cousin went to get the doctor who told her she could be released as long as she promised to rest and not go outside for prolonged periods of time for a while. Once that was done, she left with Angermünde and headed for his house. Once there she called Hungary who upon hearing that it was Berlin turned frantic. Apparently nobody had been hurt but everyone was terribly worried about her.

She'd let Hungary know she was with her cousin and then told her how to get there since she knew if she didn't go back willingly they would come and get her and she wanted to spare her cousin that mental scarring. Once that conversation was over and hung up and informed Angermünde of what was happening.

_Due to the snow, she didn't actually return to the house for two days…_

**Bah, stupid ending is stupid! *head/desk, head/desk* Well whatever, the next one will be better, I promise. Now I'm going to go watch Inglourious Basterds because I need to see someone getting beaten to death with a baseball bat so badly I'm about scream…..I really like the movie, stop looking at me like that. XD**


	10. Chapter 10

**Yeah, I've been gone a while, I know. I had writers block like you would not believe and it really does show that I kind of had no ideas in this one but I felt like I had to post something. The next one will be better, I promise. I'm usually running on more steam than this but I've been really tired lately and school is smashing books and homework and tests into my brain that it's on the verge of cruel and unusual punishment. TT^TT Curse junior year!**

April, 1968

Well, this was something she'd certainly seen before. Berlin recognized the city of Prague almost as soon as he'd been taken into custody. Czechoslovakia, on the other hand, was being sedated and locked up. She was a fighter but she was no match for the Soviet Red Army, especially with those from the Warsaw Pact reluctantly in toe. Sighing, she turned away from the poor city currently being led away in handcuffs and started towards home, if she could even call it that these days. The last time she'd seen Czechoslovakia and Prague was in 1939. They didn't want to see her then and they still didn't want to see her now. Berlin didn't blame them. She still had nightmares about that time.

As she progressed through the streets, she realized how much silence unnerved her. Back at the house there was usually always something happening and the streets were hardly ever quiet. But now walking through the streets, the only people she saw were armed officers of the Soviet Red Army and a few protestors that were kneeling on the ground having been beaten into submission. She turned her eyes away form them and continued walking. Well, that was until she heard her name being called,

"Anya! Anya please wait!"

"Dalimil?"

Berlin could hardly believe that Prague was currently running towards her, still in handcuffs of course. She began walking back towards him until they reached each other. Once the man caught his breath he spoke again,

"I know we've never really been on good terms with each other but you have to help me and Emilie."

"Dalimil, you know I can't do that. If I help you, what do you think Ivan will do to me?"

"So run away with us! We'll get Alfred to help us, he's always bragging about how he's a hero so here's his chance."

Berlin sighed and ran a hand through her hair. She did want to help Prague and Czechoslovakia but considering the officers still guarding the streets were starting to eye her with suspicion, she doubted they had much of a chance. She pushed down the sense of guilt that was building in the form of frustrated tears and found her voice,

"I'm sorry, Dalimil. I can't help you."

As if on cue, a group of officers suddenly appeared from down the street, Russia leading them with a very peeved look on his face,

"So this is where you were? That was quite the trick you pulled back there but now it's time for you to come back with us."

Berlin watched them drag Prague back to wherever they were holding prisoners. As she watched, Prague looked at her with an expression of disbelief. For a brief moment, all other sound stopped and she heard only his voice ask her a question for which she had no answer…

_What happened to you?_

February, 1972

There really wasn't anything interesting to do so Berlin sat in her room, looking over the letters America had sent her over the years. She'd managed to sneak into Russia's room and get them back. If he'd noticed he hadn't said anything or was trying to figure out some elaborate way to punish her. She didn't care either way. She'd seen everything he had to throw at her; nothing he could do would really hurt anymore.

Her mind kept drifting back to what Prague had said to her a few years ago. She hadn't seen him or Czechoslovakia since then and frankly, she'd rather not see what had become of them. Russia didn't take particularly good care of his things. She let out a sigh and slipped the letters back under her mattress. Quite the generic hiding place, yes, but one that would likely work for quite some time.

Lately, it seemed to be getting very lonely. England was fighting with Ireland (again), West was supporting Ireland, and France was having trouble getting Vietnam and America to be civil with each other. She didn't even want to think about China or Japan; things just hadn't been going well for the greater part of the century for them. All in all, everyone was on their own for now since most of the people she would ask for aid were busy.

She tried to think of an answer to the question Prague had asked her. What had happened to her? Well, let's see: she'd been beaten, whipped, starved, choked, sleep deprived, scared to death, and a number of other unpleasant things. But all that shouldn't have bothered her as much as it had. She'd been through worse, especially during the World Wars but for some reason she just didn't feel like doing anything all of a sudden.

Well, until that thought struck her, that is. After she thought about it, her level of anger began to rise and she had to force herself to stay seated lest she get up and go searching for Russia. Needless to say, something was going to happen. She just didn't know what yet. Berlin fell back onto her mattress and stared at the patterns on the ceiling. After a few moments, she smirked.

_I'll show you crazy…_

May, 1972

Bombs had been going off in Germany. Not any major ones like England had used in World War 2 but bad enough to kill a few US soldiers who were at the wrong place at the wrong time. America wasn't too happy about that, but then why would Russia care? Berlin did, however, which made things very unpleasant for him in the way that she seemed to be…following him. He hadn't noticed until two days previous that wherever he went, she was never far away. Despite maintaining his constant cold demeanor, he was genuinely starting to get a bad vibe from all of this. It wasn't that she was closely following him, oh no. She kept her distance but still, the way she looked at him unnerved him. She had that look in her eye. That look that didn't resemble her. It looked like someone else's.

_Like someone who had given him hell long ago…_

June, 1972

If there was one thing Berlin was absolutely ecstatic about, it was that her brother had just won against Russia in the UEFA 3-0. Seeing her brother and Belgium had also been a plus but beating Russia at football (as in soccer, for you Americans) had made her day. Of course, the USSR's star player had been injured on his way to the stadium that morning but she'd had nothing to do with that.

_Then again, she'd known that without having to be told as well…_

September 18, 1973

It was a wonderful day indeed. West and Prussia had both been entered into the United Nations. This made Berlin very happy. It would have made her even happier to be able to be with her brothers to celebrate but she was currently occupied with trying to contact America. Russia had taken the phone that had been in her room away. This was why she was in Hungary's room using hers. She dialed, hung up, re-dialed, hung up again and repeated the same process probably fifteen times before the old thing finally worked,

"Hello?"

"Thank god, it worked! It's Anya!"

"What's wrong, did something happen?"

She rolle her eyes,

"What hasn't happened, Alfred? I want out of here, can you team up with Ludwig now that he's part of the UN?"

"I can certainly try. Are you sure nothing drastic has happened? You sound kind of, I don't know…shrill."

She glanced down at the bruises shaped like fingers around her right ankle and tightened her grip on the receiver,

"Alfred, just get me out of here. I don't have anyone else to turn to since Arthur is still arguing with his brother, Gilbert is who-knows-where, and France is busy pissing off The Aussies."

"You've got it. I'll open up communications as soon as I can…Anya?"

"Ja?"

"Be careful. I mean it this time, no making him mad or tempting fate. I don't want you hurt."

She was silent for a moment,

"I'll try."

"That's no-"

A door slammed form downstairs and Berlin felt panic take root in her chest,

"I have to go, he's home!"

"Wait, Any-"

She hung up, bolted form Hungary's room, and barricaded herself in her own room. She looked around for a hiding place. Russia had been increasingly violent lately. Where could she hide? She could hear his footsteps getting closer. The doorknob quivered and she dove under the bed and fixed the bed skirt so it looked like she wasn't there. Then she curled up in a little ball and placed a hand over her mouth to hide her breathing.

The door was kicked in and she flinched. Her eyes followed his feet as they slowly walked throughout her room. He looked in her closet and broke off the door upon seeing she wasn't there. He opened the window thinking she might've scaled the walls of the house down to run. There was an aggravated sigh followed by a voice that was far too calm,

"Where are you Anya? I heard you come in here."

Berlin stayed still and silent, keeping her breathing slow even though her heart rate kept speeding up the closer he came to finding her. After a few more minutes he seemingly quit the game of hide and seek and left the room. Berlin waited a moment before letting gout a breath she hadn't realized she was holding. Then she heard something that made her breath catch in her throat. Laughter, and she wasn't laughing. A hand grabbed her already bruised ankle and dragged her out from underneath the bed.

_It was going to be one of those nights…_

June 25, 1976

In all honestly, Berlin hadn't thought Poland would go through with the whole rioting thing but lo and behold, the man on the radio was talking about exactly that. She sighed,

"You dumb blonde, you know you won't win."

She wasn't all against it though. After all, this would distract Russia just long enough for her to screw a few things up. Nothing big, just enough for him to get mad. Okay, that was a complete and utter lie. Tow hours later she had destroyed every government paper n the entire house as well as all the copies of said papers. Why had she done this? Well, the answer was simple.

_She needed an excuse for him to hit her so she could hit him…_

June 30, 1976

The riots Poland had started were over and so was all his back talk for the time being. Berlin, on the other hand, was just getting started. The whole disappearing paper thing she'd pulled had earned her a cracked skull and multiple bruises but in return, he'd gotten a broken nose, a few nasty scratch marks here and there, and a punch to the jaw that had actually stunned him for a few seconds. Sure, that had made her feel better. A lot better actually. However, the little voice in the back of her head wanted more.

This was how her next plan was thought up. It had only taken her an hour (it would've been a shorter time frame had her skull not been cracked) and she smiled whenever she thought about it. This wasn't always good, since she didn't smile much and this particular smile was one of deranged amusement but as long as she was happy, she didn't care how crazed she looked.

Her new plan was simple: make Russia's life a living hell. Yes, America had told her not to make him mad but something in her craved violence at this point in time and if she didn't get it, something even worse would happen. Keeping safe be damned, if she got hurt she didn't care as long as Russia was in the hospital bed next to hers. Well, perhaps not directly next to hers. Perhaps down the hall would be better although it would be more inconvenient should she decide to smother him.

So far she'd put a centipede (courtesy of Australia again) under his pillow, hidden every pen in the house, somehow broken into the basement and burned that damn whip (it was symbolic, the old thing just had to go), and stolen the pipe. Oh yes, she'd taken the offensive piece of metal and hidden somewhere Russia would never find it. All that aside, she was currently sitting in the kitchen examining her nails. She couldn't wait for Russia to come home.

_After all, she hadn't had this much fun in a while…_

**So…yeah. That was all I came up with in what? Three, four months? I'll do better next time, I swear. Next time I won't have so many distractions now that finals are over and I'm currently on Mid-Winter Break. :D Rate/review if you want to, it's not like Russia will reach through the computer screen and shake you by the shoulders until your head falls off if you don't. XD Although, that would be pretty awesome. Wouldn't virus protection that did that be so awesome?....wow, I'm going to go to bed now before something else weird and random comes out of my head. 0_0"**


	11. Author's Note!

Oh my gosh, I cannot believe I've neglected this story for so long.

I am so, so sorry you guys! I got super wrapped up in school and applying for college and doing high school things with my fellow seniors, but no more! I have some more time available to put into this story and, thankfully, I also have muse for it. There are maybe two more chapters before it's finished which is why it boggles my mind that I just left this thing sitting here so long. Why didn't I just finish it? Who knows? I certainly don't, but do know that I will begin writing another chapter this weekend and finish the story hopefully before June if my schoolwork allows be too. Thank you all for being so patient with me and my tendency to space out and forget things, I am so, so sorry!

Sincerely,

AbandonedPhoenix


	12. Chapter 11

**Holy shit, you guys. Holy SHIT. It's been what, two years? I think it's been two years. Now then, due to an overwhelming amount of continued likes and follows of this story along with one very kind and much appreciated message, I've decided to finish this story. This chapter and the following one will be the last and then it will be done! Given how little there is to write of it still, I decided I can suck it up and kick myself in the ass and finish it! I've got some free time now, so that's exactly what I'm gonna do. Ladies and gentlemen, heeere we go again!**

May, 1978

Good God, he would do just about anything to get America's panties in a twist now, wouldn't he? Afghanistan? _Really? _Berlin had scarcely believed it when she'd heard but sure it enough there it was, right in the daily newspaper for her to read for herself and read it she did again and again and again. Russia must have really been reaching for a new way to irk his opponent in the seemingly never ending Cold War. Berlin didn't even know how many years it had been now. She'd stopped counting after 1955, the redhead just hadn't had the strength to keep on numbering each year that had continued her long stint of being trapped in what was beginning to feel like a make shift asylum. After all, it was driving her completely insane.

American would have to do something about it. Russia was involved; he would need to put his foot down somewhere. Berlin could only hope that he would at least make an attempt to be sneaky about it. Vietnam had taken a huge toll on the blonde. It had been a long dark road, one of few letters between the two of them. The ones she had received worried her greatly. She doesn't her best, writing back as quickly as she could put pen to paper and expressing her utmost sympathy for the lives lost and the continuing difficulty of it all. She knew how the song and dance of a controversial war went. She'd seen and fought through many. Still, this was America. She knew he could handle it given time.

The only good thing that was coming from Afghanistan was that Russia was, for the most part, completely fixated on it. This meant that the house was quiet, and it also meant that Berlin had more than enough time to sneak out and scheme. Meeting with Prussia was dangerous, but it had to be done. Seated side by side, the siblings were ever alert. Berlin couldn't sit still, continuously clasping her hands in her lap only to shove them into her pockets. It eventually got her an elbow to the side,

"What was that for?"

"Quit your squirming, you look more suspicious than a penguin with a sunburn."

"But penguins don't get sunburns."

"_Exactly._"

Berlin huffed and pouted, leaning back in her seat,

"I can't help it. I know he's busier than ever now, but that doesn't mean he doesn't still terrorize us at every turn. Toris had a dislocated shoulder last week. All he did was look at him wrong."

"So the usual then?"

"Don't be mean, it's not his fault."

"Then who's is it?"

_For that, the redhead had no answer._

July, 1980

America was boycotting the Summer Olympics. Berlin had to run that thought through her head twice. _America_ was boycotting the Summer Olympics. It didn't make sense to her. She hadn't thought his pride and seemingly endless need to win and be the very best there ever was at everything would have allowed him to do such a thing. Clearly she'd misjudged him, and she was tearing him a new one for it,

"Are you really going to be so childish?"

"It's in protest to Afghanistan. You can't honestly tell me you're surprised, what was I supposed to do?"

"You were supposed to suck it up and march into Moscow with your head held high! Isn't that what a real hero would do?"

She regretted that the moment the words had tumbled from her lips. There was dead silence over the line for several minutes. Then,

"Keep in mind I'm not the only one doing this. There are many other countries who will not be attending or will be sending competitors under the Olympic flag only."

"Alfred I'm sorry."

"Yeah, I bet you are."

The line went dead and a sigh left the city. Somewhere downstairs she could hear that scarf wearing, vodka guzzling bastard humming to himself, no doubt pleased with his antics.

_Well, she'd certainly fucked it up this time._

May, 1981

Money, money, money. America and Russia seemed to be made of it. The two were spending who knows how much on their militaries. Berlin watched from afar, keeping herself distant. Most of her antics to fuck up Russia's life had died down. She was, once again, tired. Moreover, America seemed to get on his nerves just fine without her help. The two hadn't talked much, Berlin's own sarcasm and habit of taking out her anger on those around her having landed her in deep water. He'd started writing to her again, though, the previous month. She supposed that had to mean something. To see his untidy scrawl written across two pages of nothing but encouragement did wonders for her. She hadn't realized how much she missed it until she'd held the paper in her own hands.

Of course, Russia in particular wasn't made of money. That much was obvious in the average way of life of those living with the Soviet Union. Lines formed within lines each morning for supplies. Those who didn't move fast enough got nothing. It didn't matter people were talking, it didn't matter things were appearing to brighten up. Berlin was still stuck, and until she was free things seemed to be going nowhere, time slowing to a snail's crawl as she sat cooped up in the house day in and day out. She left when she could, mostly when he was distracted with yet another stockpile of nuclear weapons. The thought of any one country having that much power made the redhead shiver. The same went for America. Nuclear war was something she was ashamed to say was on her mind. It may not have been as threatening as it had been in the 50's, but she still thought about it, and even the slightest possible chance that there may be a mushroom cloud somewhere in the distance soon terrified her.

With this in mind, she kept her head down, trying to provoke neither of them. If she did provoke Russia, she made to keep his attentions on her. If she could keep him from striking Poland or Lithuania again, then she would do so. Russia certainly seemed more than willing to cooperate. Recently any frustrations had been taken out on her. He knew it upset America. Berlin reasoned that this was why he paid special attention to her. More often than not, she found his hand around her throat as she was hoisted into the air. Today was one such day, her eyes shutting as she felt herself being thrown.

Pain bloomed through both shoulders as she landed hard against the wall. Sliding limply to the floor, she just barely managed to get to her feet again before Russia had her back within his grasp. His fingers dug into her chin so hard there were sure to be bruises later. His gaze made her freeze, but she continued to glare back out of nothing more than a lackluster need to continue her defiant streak. She couldn't let him have his way. Not so easily. He pressed against her, a wince leaving her as her head was craned back into the wall at an awkward angle. He spoke softly to her, almost as though she were a child,

"Tell me, my dear Anya, what does he have that I do not? What makes him so special that you would continue to associate with such filth? You know it hurts me so."

She didn't bother censoring herself anymore. It was boring. Looking up at him, she managed to twist her pained expression into one of sweet, feigned innocence,

"Oh let's see here: compassion, warmth, empathy, sanity, a heart, need I go on?"

The hand on her chin flew to her throat and squeezed tightly. Pressure built up in her head and forced her eyes shut, a strangled cough leaving her. Squinting her eyes open, she barely made out the smirk upon Russia's face,

"I'll be having none of your sass today, dorogoy. I haven't the time for it."

Berlin managed a sneer of her own, closed though her eyes were,

"So hurry up and get it over with, then."

"Don't think I'd let you off that easy just because I am in a hurry."

_Berlin would not find her voice again for several days._


End file.
